How I became a surrogate mom to triplets
January 12 2011 at 09:46am
By Heather Dugmore
When she heard she was carrying triplets, Zelda Steenkamp, 36, was taken aback.
Now she feels blessed, even though the two baby boys and a girl are not with her at the Benoni home that she shares with her husband and two daughters.
They’re with their father, a single gay man who commissioned her as a surrogate.
“I know how desperately some people want children and I believed this is something I really needed to do,” she tells Verve in an interview.
“I discussed it with my partner, who said I must follow my heart. I started researching surrogacy and came across a website called baby2mom.co.za
“I liked what I read and phoned Jenny Currie, who runs it. I believe it was meant to be, because in no time she matched me with a single guy of the same age as me, who desperately wanted kids.
“He and I met and clicked immediately. I found him softhearted and genuine. He said he liked my sense of humour and my outlook on life. I’m a calm person even though I’m a performing artist – I write my own songs and perform at corporate gigs and festivals.
“As the incubator, I think it’s important that you are calm because the babies can feel if you are stressed or anxious.
“The commissioning father and I entered into a legal agreement, and the fertilisation of his selected donor eggs with his sperm took place at a fertility clinic in Sandton.
“The doctors at the fertility clinic normally implant two or three fertilised eggs into the surrogate mother in the hope that at least one takes. In my case, all three took.
“When I heard I was pregnant with triplets I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The commissioning father was speechless and ecstatic. He said he couldn’t have asked for anything better,” says Steenkamp.
“He has a wonderfully supportive family, and he and his family were completely there for me during my pregnancy. If he could not make it to the scan, his mom or sister would come with me.
(Single males or male couples must, by law, provide proof that there will be a female influence in the child’s life.)
“The back-up from my family was also incredible,” says Steenkamp. “My daughters would rub my feet at night and they all helped me so much because, as full term approached, it became very heavy carrying three babies.
“ I knew exactly where they were all lying and they behaved differently at different times. The baby girl was always active when I was in the bath.
“At 33 weeks, my waters broke and my family rushed me to the Sandton Clinic. The father-to-be and his family were there to support me.”
Steenkamp gave birth by Caesarean section to the triplets on October 24 last year. The babies each weighed 1.5kg and were moved to the ICU neonatal unit where they stayed for a month.
“When the father first held them, he said he had never felt so in love in his whole life,” says Steenkamp.
“All three of them are absolutely perfect and gorgeous. He adores them and is a hands-on dad, feeding them, changing their nappies and spending all his time with them.
“As their surrogate mother I am so happy they are in such good hands. Even though they are not my babies, it is natural to feel an attachment to them.
“Unusually, their dad has asked me to remain in their lives. Most surrogate agreements stipulate that the relationship ends at the birth,” says Steenkamp. “He wants them to know I carried them and I am happy about this.
“I wouldn’t be a surrogate again because, as I said, it was quite heavy carrying, but it was an amazing experience and I feel I will be truly blessed for the rest of my life.”
According to South African law, surrogate mothers have to have at least one living child. This helps to minimise emotional complications when it is time to give up the child.
For commissioning parents, the process can be an expensive one as they have to pay legal fees to draw up surrogacy agreements, pay for in vitro fertilisation, cover the mother’s medical expenses and her loss of income during pregnancy.
Another gay man who completed his surrogacy agreement in April cautions other commissioning parents to have a clear idea of the process and costs involved.
Forty-year-old Steve, who wants to stay anonymous, says: “I am fortunate enough to be able to pay the R450 000 it will ultimately cost me, but I had no idea of the amounts involved when I first took the decision to be a commissioning parent.”
Steve, who is gay, had to find an egg donor and a surrogate.
Selecting his donor eggs was highly important for him. “My first criterion was intelligence. You are given a comprehensive background on the person and, while it is difficult to gauge intelligence on paper, I chose someone with a university degree and a good family history.
“I also selected on lifestyle and physical attributes – I am fair with light eyes, so I chose someone with similar characteristics as I would like the child to vaguely look like me.”
The egg donor remained anonymous.
With his choice of the surrogate mother, he was more concerned that she was a healthy, relaxed person because he believes the experience in the womb plays a significant role in the child’s life.
“I read an article in Time Magazine that explained how one-third of a child’s make-up is nature, another third is nurture and the final third is their experience in the womb.”
Steve is awaiting the second fertilisation process. The first did not succeed.
“I am happy with my surrogate mother, but I am using different donor eggs this time as the doctor was not completely satisfied with the first ones,” he explains.
Steve says that while he would have liked to become a father with a partner, he has not yet found the right person and did not want to wait any longer. “Doing it on my own is daunting but I have strong family support. My mother’s support really surprised me because she comes from a strong Christian background.
“I want to have a child while I am still young enough, so that I can take him or her camping and hiking and do all the dad things.” – The Star
Sheffield mother to freeze eggs for infertile daughter
11 January 2011 Last updated at 12:25 ET
A mother from Sheffield plans to freeze her own her eggs to enable her infertile two-year-old daughter have children in later life.
Mackenzie Jarvis was born with Turner Syndrome, a chromosome abnormality which causes infertility.
Mother Penny, 25, who has four other children, wants to undergo the procedure so her daughter will be able to use the eggs for an IVF pregnancy.
She said: “I want to do the best for my daughter.”
Mackenzie was taken into hospital when she was five months old because she was not feeding properly.
It was then she was diagnosed with Turner Syndrome.
The condition affects around one in about 2,500 girls and occurs when one of the two X chromosomes of female DNA is completely or partially missing.
Ms Jarvis said she was shocked at the diagnosis.
“I cried my eyes out. I cried for days. Even now I cry.”
As well as infertility, Turner Syndrome also causes growth problems and is associated with heart, kidney and thyroid problems, bone disorders and hearing and ear problems.
Mackenzie is partially deaf, wears a hearing aid and communicates through sign language.
Although the toddler will not be able to conceive naturally, she could carry a child created from a donated egg.
Ms Jarvis has asked about referral to IVF specialists at Sheffield’s Jessop Hospital despite criticism about the ethics of the procedure.
She said: “I have been called some really nasty names. To be honest, I expected that. But it’s part of the territory. My main priority is Mackenzie.
“If Mackenzie doesn’t want to use them, then that’s fine. If Mackenzie doesn’t want children, that’s fine.
“I’m giving her plenty of options for when she’s older.”
A spokesman for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) said the procedure was allowed in this country.
He said it would be important for both mother and daughter to be given appropriate counselling if the procedure was fulfilled.
Busting Five Myths About Egg Donation
CHICAGO, Nov. 30, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — The steady increase in recession-spurred egg donor prospects has not resulted in a larger pool of qualified candidates, a leading agency that matches egg donors and gestational surrogates with intended parents said today.
“While media coverage, and especially about the compensation (averaging $5,000 to $7,000) has created awareness and a flood of prospects, the vast majority have not qualified as donors for various reasons,” said Mary Ellen McLaughlin, a partner at Chicago-based Alternative Reproductive Resources (www.arr1.com).
She added: “It speaks to the misconceptions the media perpetuates, often inadvertently, like that most donors are poor, young and uneducated, and just want to make a quick buck,” she said. “It’s among the many myths surrounding the fertility industry.”
Among the myths ARR makes a point to dispel:
Myth No. 1: Anyone can do it.
Many women can physically donate their eggs. Not everyone qualifies, however. ARR utilizes a 27-page pre-screening questionnaire with prospective donors. If they qualify, they must also pass physical and psychological tests. ARR receives up to 50 applications monthly; less than 5 percent actually become donors.
Myth No. 2: It’s all about the money.
ARR’s donor surveys show that over 70 percent donate for altruistic reasons. “Most know someone with infertility issues, or were inspired by a story,” McLaughlin says. “Compensation is secondary.”
Myth No. 3: Egg donation causes medical problems.
There’s no biological basis for these claims, doctors say, but they don’t know for sure either way. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM – www.asrm.com) says the long-term health effects have never been studied. Egg donors undergo the same drug treatment as IVF patients, and studies of that population show this is safe.
Myth No. 4: A donor can donate as many times as she likes.
ASRM guidelines restrict women to six donations in their lifetimes, depending upon the approval of a treating physician.
Myth No. 5: Intended parents only want Ivy League donors.
Every intended parent has different criteria. ARR says most search for an egg donor with similar traits, like ethnicity, hair color, height, etc. They also look for similar interests, such as cooking or sports.
Mexico City passes law to allow surrogate mothers
The Associated Press
Tuesday, November 30, 2010; 10:34 PM
MEXICO CITY — Mexico City lawmakers have approved legislation to allow women in the capital district to be surrogate mothers.
The measure is the first of its type to be passed in Mexico. It still needs to be signed by Mayor Marcelo Ebrard.
The bill approved Tuesday says surrogacy can be carried out only with the authorization of the city’s Health Department. It also asks that parents first look for women related by blood to serve as surrogates, although other women can participate.
The law also says a woman can be a surrogate mother no more than twice and she can’t charge for it.
Mexico City lawmaker Maricela Contreras, who promoted the initiative, says the law looks to help some of Mexico’s 1.5 million couples with fertility problems.
Increased IVF Success Rates Result when Ideal Follicular Fluid Temperature is Maintained, Says Research from the Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago
Clinical research by Chicago-area infertility specialist Richard Sherbahn, MD, reveals increased embryo quality and higher live birth rates with in vitro fertilization when the follicular fluid is in an ideal temperature range.
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) November 30, 2010
Maintaining the temperature of follicular fluid in an ideal range during the in vitro fertilization (IVF) egg retrieval procedure can improve IVF live birth success rates, according to a clinical study conducted by the Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago (AFCC).
AFCC Medical Director Richard Sherbahn, MD, was selected to present his research at the 2010 annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in Denver.
“During IVF, we retrieve eggs from a woman’s ovaries,” explains Dr. Sherbahn, a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist. “The eggs are retrieved from ovarian follicles and we obtain the eggs and follicular fluid in which they develop.
“When the eggs are removed from the ovary, the fluid and the eggs experience a temperature change because the woman’s body temperature is warmer than the room temperature,” he says, “We found that if this temperature change is excessive, IVF live birth rates are significantly decreased.
“In our study, we performed 1,659 egg retrieval procedures in women under age 43,” Dr. Sherbahn explains. “The extracted fluid and eggs went into our laboratory and we checked the fluid temperature. Our objective was to see if the follicular fluid temperature made a difference in an embryo’s ability to develop into a good-quality blastocyst—and its effect on the IVF live birth success rate.”
A blastocyst is an embryo that has developed for five to six days after fertilization and has developed two distinct cell types and a central cavity filled with fluid. In vitro fertilization done with transfer of blastocyst-stage embryos has been shown to have a higher rate of success than transferring earlier-stage embryos.
“Our research found that maintaining follicular fluid temperatures in a narrow range resulted in improved outcomes: higher rates of blastocyst development, higher rates of embryo implantation in the uterus and more live births,” Dr. Sherbahn reports.
The cases were divided into three groups for analysis: the ideal-temperature group had a live birth rate of 52.8% per egg retrieval. The low-temperature group and high-temperature group had live birth rates of 44.1%, and 37.7% respectively.
“Our research indicates that the more the ideal temperature is maintained, the better the resulting embryo quality and the higher the live birth success rates,” Dr. Sherbahn concludes.
“We use heated blocks for the test tubes containing the fluid and the eggs rather than letting them sit in an open environment with no temperature control,” he explains. “We constantly monitor the blocks and the fluids to maintain the ideal temperature for the eggs.
“The standard temperature for culturing human embryos is 37.0 degrees Centigrade (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit)—but carefully controlled studies have not been published to prove this truly is the ideal temperature. Likewise, there has not been anything published clarifying the ideal temperature for eggs during the egg retrieval. Our study is a start; further research is needed in this area,” explains Dr. Sherbahn.
“Quality control in IVF is critical. At our fertility clinic, we pay close attention to detail in every IVF cycle—and it matters,” says Dr. Sherbahn. “Our IVF success rates have exceeded the national average for 13 consecutive years. The Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago’s 2008 IVF program live birth rate of 57% per egg retrieval in women under age 35 is significantly higher than the national average success rate of 45%. For 2009, we had a 62.9% live birth rate for the same age group. The 2009 national average is not yet available.”
The Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago, with offices in Gurnee and Crystal Lake, Illinois, offers advanced reproductive technology services that attract patients from around the world. IVF pricing and egg donation pricing plans are available with a 100% money-back guarantee.
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 8:50 PM on 29th November 2010
A cancer survivor who had sperm frozen 16 years ago – when he has first diagnosed – is to become a father.
Christopher Stone, aged 33, was just 17 when he was told that he had testicular cancer.
And now, after repeatedly battling the disease – he is looking forward to the birth of his first child, conceived through IVF.
Christopher, from Heeley, Sheffield, was told the most effective treatment was to have an operation to remove the affected testicle – a procedure that doctors initially believed had been permanently successful.
Before the operation, samples of sperm were collected and stored to ensure that Christopher had the option of trying to have children at a later date if he chose.
The disease returned on several occasions over the following years, most heartbreakingly in 2006 when Christopher was told he had testicular cancer again and would need a second operation.
But today his check-ups have been reduced to once a year, and he and his wife Fiona are looking forward to the birth of a baby boy in January.
Christopher said: ‘It’s absolutely amazing. We’ve been under the care of the Jessop’s hospital and the second lot of IVF was successful.
‘Physically I feel fine and, although it’s still worrying each time I go for an appointment, it feels now like we’re turning a corner and looking forward.
‘Once the baby is here in January it will definitely feel like a new chapter – we’re really excited and just can’t wait!’
Christopher was only a teenager when he first became concerned about symptoms that suggested something was wrong.
‘It was pretty horrendous for a 17-year-old boy to think about and to deal with,’ he said.
‘And then to be told the only effective treatment was to have the operation – well, that’s a tough thing to get your head round at any age, but especially at that time in your life.’
Doctors believed they had caught the disease before it spread, but months later Christopher was told he would also need chemotherapy at Weston Park Cancer Hospital in Sheffield.
Christopher had started a degree in IT at Sheffield Hallam University, but was forced to give it up because of the demands of his treatment.
But, soon after the chemotherapy, things started to look more positive, and he married college sweetheart Fiona when he was 20.
Just two weeks after the wedding, Christopher faced another setback, with news that doctors had found tumours in his stomach. The couple spent their honeymoon in the North General
Hospital while he had surgery, only to discover he needed another operation six months later to remove benign tumours from his throat.
After these setbacks, Christopher began to move forwards. He returned to Sheffield Hallam University to complete a degree in business information systems before getting a job.
But by the summer of 2006 he noticed the all-too-familiar symptoms again, and he was given a second testicular diagnosis.
Christopher said: ‘It was 10 times more devastating thanwhen I was 17. Having to undergo that operation again was heartbreaking.’
After a course of radiotherapy, Christopher was finally given the all-clear and now his follow-up appointments have been reduced to annually.
He has been backing the Movember fundraising and awareness campaign for men’s cancer – where supporters grow a moustache throughout the month of November.
IVF using donor eggs increases preeclampsia risk, study claims
29 November 2010
By Kyrillos Georgiadis
Appeared in BioNews 586
A small study has recently suggested that women who use donated eggs in IVF treatment could be at a higher risk of developing pre-eclampsia, a common but potentially dangerous pregnancy complication.
The study compared 77 women who had given birth following IVF treatment using donated eggs between 1998 and 2005 with 81 women who had become pregnant through IVF treatment but using their own eggs. The results indicated that only five percent of women who used their own eggs during IVF treatment developed pre-eclampsia, compared with almost 17 percent of women using donor eggs.
‘The results of this study should not be alarming or frightening’, said Dr Peter Klatsky, the lead author of the paper from the Women and Infants Hospital in Providence in Rhode Island, United States. The findings may help doctors understand what causes pre-eclampsia and how to counsel patients who may be at risk. ‘This is exciting because it sheds new light on to a potential cause of this common disease’, Dr Klatsky said.
Pre-eclampsia is a common medical condition that affects between 2-8 percent of women during pregnancy and is associated with high blood pressure, increased protein in the urine and other symptoms. The cause is not fully understood but it is thought to be linked to problems with the placenta. The incidence remains the same for natural pregnancies and those following IVF treatment where the patient’s own eggs were used.
Previous studies have indicated that women who use donor sperm and those who get pregnant with a new partner have higher rates of pre-eclampsia than other women, suggesting the condition could be related to an immune response against cells the body sees as foreign. Dr Klatsky’s study tested to see if the pattern held true for eggs the body did not recognise.
Dr Sacha Krieg, assistant professor specialising in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the Kansas University Medical Centre, agreed doctors should counsel patients at increased risk for pre-eclampsia and monitor them more closely during pregnancy but cautioned against trying to draw too much of a conclusion from a small study.
Three Babies in One Year, But No Triplets !
Posted by Jeanne Sager
on November 4, 2010 at 8:00 AM
Just when the number of women bringing their mean girl attitudes out on the infertile crowd makes you wonder when pregnancy became a competitive sport, the babies themselves come out to do what they do best: restore a little faith in humanity.
How else can you look at the story of a couple who struggled with infertility only to end up parents of three babies in one year — without a set of multiples in the bunch?
Lauren and Joe Kamnik went through IUI, IVF, and finally started looking for a surrogate or a child to adopt. Then they hit the jackpot.
They found Oliver, a little boy who was ready to come home with them, and their surrogate got pregnant. More or less at the same time. Oh, and then Lauren got pregnant completely on accident.
One year. Three babies: Oliver, Vivienne, and Wesley.
It’s the kind of story I want to send to every woman struggling with infertility that I know. Not to rub it in her face, but because if anyone needs a smile, it’s her. And I encourage her to hand a printout to the naysayers who roll their eyes and tell her, “Just give up already, don’t you see what it’s doing to you?”
That should be on the list of top 10 things NOT to say to a woman struggling with infertility, but I hear it anyway. It’s close to “just adopt already” or “just use IVF already.” But it’s even more dismissive — telling someone to “give up” is tantamount to saying, “Oh well, babies aren’t everything.”
Easy for you to say. Until you want one more than anything in the world. And then there are the people like the Kamniks who prove why each avenue can be worth it — whether you choose them all or just one.
Or people like Susan and Shane Comiskey. The married pastors didn’t “just give up already.” They spent 22 years trying for their baby, including a year-long bout with cancer for Susan. They finally welcomed daughter Anna last month.
Do these stories give you hope?
10:10:10:10:10:10: The baby boom moment
Chaitra Devarhubli, DNA, Updated: October 11, 2010 14:59 IST
Ahmedabad: Ten-Ten-Ten. While the date was crucial for six cities of Gujarat that went into civic polls on Sunday, it was a happy date for those moms who delivered their much-cherished babies on this day.
Delivering a baby on the magic date and time had been a craze for some women and they finally realised that precious moment on Sunday.
In the milk town Anand, where leading IVF expert Dr Nayna Patel runs her hospital, Hetal became a proud mother of her first baby exactly at 10:10 am. She had battled infertility for 10 years after her marriage.
“Ten is certainly a dearer date to me now as my first child was born on this special day. Luckily, my mother-in-law also supported our decision to go for planned Cesarean delivery,” said Hetal who delivered a baby boy at Akanksha Infertility Clinic of Dr Patel.
In Ahmedabad, Rajlakshmi Shekhawat delivered a baby on Sunday at 10:10:10 am (ten seconds after ten past ten) at Apollo Hospital. She had booked the date for C-section a month ago.
Apollo’s chief gynaecologist Dr Usha Bohra said, “Sometimes it is good as parents want some interesting date and time for baby delivery. But sometimes, the couples get over-excited over such dates. I got cases where would-be mothers with November dates wanted their deliveries on October 10. In those cases, I had to refuse admission,” said the doctor.
While some parents had planned the delivery at the specific time on the specific date, one Sangitaben Thakore of Ahmedabad was lucky enough to deliver her baby 10:10 am through normal delivery.
“An emergency case came to me around 9:30 am, where Sangita was having severe labour pain,” said Dr Ramesh Kanpariya of Radhe Nursing Home, Nikol.
Cancer sufferer becomes father 14 years after freezing his sperm
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 5:41 PM on 11th October 2010
An infertile cancer sufferer is now a father, thanks to freezing his sperm 14 years ago before his chemotherapy.
James Hodgson, 28, was 14 when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma after finding a lump on his neck.
He froze his sperm before undergoing intensive chemotherapy, as he was warned the treatment would make him infertile.
Miracle daughter Lily, now 14 months old, was born after Mr Hodgson and his wife Claire, 31, tried for a baby using IVF.
‘When we found out Claire was pregnant, it was amazing,’ said Mr. Hodgson.
‘I was very open when I met Claire about my past. We got married in 2007 and started trying for a baby in 2008.
‘It was quite tough-going. IVF is an emotional process, I found it very frustrating that there wasn’t anything I could do.’
Mr Hodgson – from Fareham, Hampshire – was given the all-clear at the age of 22, after numerous check-ups and X-rays.
He now says: ‘As a teenager I didn’t fully understand the implications of what I was being told. I was a bit shocked. It’s only really now that I am able to appreciate how serious the situation was.
‘Now as a father, when I look back there were many kids younger than me. I understand the importance more than I did when I was 14. It breaks my heart to see so many youngsters suffering with this illness.’
As a teenager, he missed around four months of school to undergo the gruelling 14-month chemotherapy treatment, and is now taking part in the Great South Run to raise money for Piam Brown ward at Southampton General Hospital where he was treated.
‘It’s always been an ambition of mine to give something back to the ward,’ he said. ‘They do such a fantastic job.
‘The training is going very well. I have had a lot of encouragement from my friends and family. I have never really been a runner. This will be the first running event I have ever taken part in.’
